The Serpent in his Guise
by Darkened.Weakness
Summary: A new cast of characters for the Percy Jackson Universe, taking place after Percy saves camp. When the sun doesn't rise in the morning, what else can a camper from the Apollo cabin do but go on a quest? Rated T, because I'm not entirely sure what will happen in the future. R&R, please.
1. My Heartthrob is a Heartbreaker

**Chapter 1: My Hearthrob is a Heartbreaker (or so they say)**

"Will you cut it out?" I demanded, stiffening as she kept poking, shocking me with every touch. I knew it wasn't intentional; Theresa had always had trouble containing the electricity that came with being a daughter of Zeus, especially when she saw Jack.

I guess I should probably explain myself a little bit. See, Theresa and I are daughters of the Greek gods; the big guys that live up on Mount Olympus. Most people don't believe me when I say that, so I don't say it much unless I'm at Camp, which I am most of the time anymore. Monsters started coming after both of us around the same time, but a satyr named Braiden had found us just before things got really ugly and had lead us past the magical boundary of Camp Half-Blood.

That was about six years ago, going on seven in a few days. We've been year round campers most of that time, until very recently; I'd made a trip back home to visit my family, but it had been hard, and I'd come back after a little while. Monsters weren't the only problem. See, I was the product of an affair, and my brothers – half brothers, I have to keep reminding myself – haven't quite gotten over that. Combine that with the disappointed looks I now receive from my father – my adoptive father, I suppose – and I got really tired of home really fast. So I apologized to my mother and fled.

Theresa doesn't really have the option of going home; monsters are drawn to her like flies to sugar water, but she's generally alright with that. We are occasionally allowed to make small trips for her to visit, so they get to see each other some of the time.

I grabbed my right wrist, attempting to massage some of the feeling into it. She just grinned at me, and I scowled back.

"This is serious. I'm _trying_ to practice." I shook my numb hand one more time and tried to pick up the bow, but my hand was just not willing to cooperate with me. I slung the bow over my shoulder and just gave up. I was mad, inside, but it wasn't that big of a deal, and I knew she hadn't meant to.

"He's right there though!" She grabbed my arm again as Jack, the Apollo counselor, shot another bulls eye a few targets away. "Look at him! And look what he just did-"

"I just did the same thing, you loser." I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. "Can you let me go, please? I really can't feel my arm. So much for practice."

"Why do you need to practice? You're Apollo's kid, doesn't it just come naturally?" I rolled my eyes again as she let my arm go and completely ignored the rest of my statement.

"I suppose a little, but I still like to practice. Obviously being Zeus's kid comes easily to you." I nudged her, and she nudged me back. I laughed and couldn't be mad anymore.

"I'm sorry."

"I guess I forgive you." I chuckled. Shaking my arm again, I trotted toward the Apollo cabin, where I kept a salve that helped the numbness. Chiron had suggested I just take it, since I insisted on spending so much time with a friend as 'shocking' as Theresa. It took me just a few minutes to start regaining feeling once I rubbed the salve on, and then I went back out to where Theresa leaned against the gold cabin.

"Would you like to go back to archery?" Theresa asked, although she made a face. She wasn't a big fan of archery; she preferred just to zap people if they annoyed her.

"Not if you're going to be so bored you have to shock me."

"Then what shall we do?"

"I don't know." We were both much too noncommittal to make decisions. On occasion, that was a problem. Most of the time, we couldn't find it in us to care.

We walked slowly through the camp, leaving the cabins behind and ending up close to the amphitheater, where the Apollo kids planned on showing off their theatrical talent in the next few weeks. Anyone had been welcome to join, of course, but Apollo's kids were usually the only ones that took part in the end of summer show.

I ran into the middle of the stage and yelled my lines at the imagined audience, belting out the words with much more drama than necessary.

"Why, then, when my strength fails, I shall have done." As a senior camper, I'd gotten the part of Antigone in the play of the same name, written by Sophocles. Usually we tended to stay away from the classic greek shows, if only because we wanted something different, something current. This year, though, since one of the Dionysus campers was going to attempt to leave and go to college, we'd let her have her choice.

She'd chosen my crush, Kyler, to play the part of Haemon, Antigone's betrothed. I couldn't decide if she hated me or thought this was a good opportunity. Kyler was a son of Aphrodite, but he wasn't the same as the rest; he was smart and kind and he didn't spend all of his time at camp making sure his hair was right. Of course, that might have been because he didn't _need _to; he looked good no matter what he wore or did with his hair.

"Are you ready yet?" Theresa asked , leaning against a pillar.

"Of course. I'd be a poor excuse for a daughter of Apollo if I wasn't."

"Nervous? Kyler's going to be right there, all the time." She grinned wickedly.

I shrugged even as I blushed. "He has been already."

"So you aren't at all nervous?"

"I didn't say that." I muttered, looking away from her. "He just has been, already." I repeated lamely.

"Mmhmm."

"Shut up." I knew my face had to be cherry red, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. I was fine when I didn't think about it, but when it was brought up… well, I had a hard time controlling my blood, alright? It's not easy to stop it from rising to your face.

"Alright, alright." Theresa pushed away from the wall and went to sit on a bench, waiting.

"I'm not going to perform for you now." I muttered petulantly. I crossed my arms and turned my back to her, willing my blush to fade.

"Will you perform for me?"

Oh shit. Kyler. I took a deep breath, forced a smile on my lips, and turned to look at him.

"What are you doing here?"

I could see Theresa just barely holding back a laugh as Kylar answered, "Probably the same as you. I'm terrified of performing…" He shrugged, his smile dazzling me.

"I'd never guess." I wished I didn't sound quite so breathless. The effect this man had on me, I could have sworn it was magic. Or maybe just the Aphrodite coming out in him, I couldn't be sure. Either way, I was completely helpless when it came to him.

"I'm lucky then, if you can't tell."

The compliment just sucked all the rest of the air out of my lungs, what little there was left. "Not so lucky." I managed to get out.

His grin widened. "As a daughter of Apollo and a veteran of the theatre, I should say it's lucky. Would you like to practice with me sometime? I'm not really sure I like how I'm reading some of the lines, and I thought you'd be able to help me with that."

"You're perfect." I cursed myself, wishing I could come up with something witty when I was around him. Everything I said always sounded dumb and super obvious.

"I'm sure I'm not-"

"I'd love to, though, sometime. If you want."

"Thanks. I've got to head out, I was just hoping I could come up with a time… does after dinner work for you? We can meet here?"

"Perfect." I managed. He waved as he left, and I could hear Theresa chuckling.

"Perfect. You're perfect." She mimicked in a falsetto.

"Shut up. Maybe I should just go find Jack. I'm sure he's still at the Archery range, _practicing_."

"Don't you-"

"I'm sure he'd be more than willing to teach you, if you promised to refrain from killing him. After all, your inability to control yourself can have fatal-"

"I got it, shut up." The blush rose to her cheeks now, and I felt a little bit better.

"Alright, now that we have an understanding, I'd like to go die in a hole." I walked out of the amphitheater, letting Theresa catch up with me.

"I'm not sure your mother would approve."

"Yeah, well, she's married, she doesn't understand the trials of a single woman with a crush on an Aphrodite boy. Besides, she'd probably warn me he was from the wrong side of the tracks, and that I should be careful."

"You do know the initiation, and he's a first year-"

"He's not like that." I immediately jumped to his defense. "He's a good person."

"So you think. That's what they want you to think."

"He wouldn't do this-"

"How do you know?"

I stopped answering, frustrated. Somewhere deep inside I knew she was only worried about me, but I couldn't stand her insistence that he was a bad person. He wasn't. I couldn't explain why I knew it, but I did. There was no point in arguing with her, though, and I'd just get madder the more we argued. Better to stop now and calm down a bit.

Just because he liked leather jackets and name brand clothes didn't mean he was a bad guy. He just… he knew fashion. And I couldn't hold that against him, because that was like holding his parentage against him. And he was better than the rest of Aphrodite cabin. I knew it.

"It's getting close to dinner." Theresa said quietly after a while. I nodded and we turned toward the mess hall. We didn't speak as we made our way over, splitting to go to our separate tables. Sometimes Chiron let her sit with the Apollo cabin, because he felt bad that she had to eat alone. On days like today, though, when we were on edge, we chose to sit separately. We would be fine after we were full and had some time apart.

Jack sat next to me, as he usually did; he had come a couple of years after me, but I had turned down cabin counselor in favor of him. He was a natural leader, and like a brother to me. He was nineteen to my eighteen and Theresa's seventeen. For me, he was just an older brother, but I could understand being attracted to him. He had a goofy smile and his sandy hair never quite stayed down. His cheekbones were high and pronounced, making a small valley between his jaw. He was tall and lean, his body falling into a V with broader shoulders and a slim waist. And there was something about his blue eyes that looked almost sad, something that made you want to give him a hug. Yes, he was attractive, but I could never see him like that.

Kyler, on the other hand, had dark brown hair, shorter and neater, pushed back off his forehead in the front. A strong jaw made the stubble more attractive, and his straight eyebrows were low over his intense hazel green eyes, framed with dark lashes. He had a lot of muscle for an Aphrodite kid, shorter than Jack but built similarly.

I shook my head to clear thoughts of the man just as he walked into the mess hall with his siblings. I forced myself to look at Jack as we discussed the semantics of running the Apollo cabin, something I was well acquainted with and simply had no desire to actually do.

That was why Jack was the counselor; he, for whatever reason, found this stuff interesting. I wasn't sure why. I certainly didn't want to have to worry about what we needed for the cabin or what we should do about the more troubled campers.

"Megan, are you listening?"

"Yeah, of course." I made a face and repeated, "'The campers have been complaining about the mattresses, I suggest we ask Chiron for permission to get new ones.' Problem is, then all the cabins will demand the same, and I'm not sure Chiron wants to spend that kind of money right now. Not with the number of minor quests he's been allowing lately. We – and by we, I mean you – will probably have to tell them to suck it up. We can probably afford it come winter, when quests are few and far between, but not right now."

"You are in a fantastic mood, have you been taking happy pills?"

I elbowed my friend, gently. "I'm just a little frustrated right now, is all. Don't take it personally."

"Yes ma'am." He gave me his goofy grin before a thought seemed to cross his mind and he frowned. "It's not Kyler, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know Aphrodite kids. You can't really trust them."

I rolled my eyes. "You can't just tell me he's off limits because of his _parents_. He didn't choose her, you know."

"It's not that, and you know it." Jack's smile faded as he reminded me of his last relationship. He'd fallen head over heels for an Aphrodite girl and she'd completely torn him down in order to finish initiation. Then the other Aphrodite kids had bothered him and made fun of him for the entire summer, and the next summer they hadn't dropped it until about midway through camp.

"I'm sorry. But Kyler's different. I know he is." I wouldn't give up on this. Not that I had the courage to talk to the Aphrodite boy about possibly maybe sort of trying to date, but I was more than willing to stick up for him and entertain fantasies of one day being more than friends.

"Alright." Jack knew he wasn't going to get anywhere when I took that tone with him, so he put his hands up and surrendered. "I just worry about you."

"I really wish people would stop worrying about me. I can handle myself." I muttered.

Risking a glance at the Zeus table, I was surprised to note that Theresa wasn't there… until I saw her laying on the bench, her arms crossed. I wondered if she was mad that I was talking to Jack while she sat alone. So be it. I couldn't find it in me to care about her feelings, not when she'd been stomping all over mine.

Once the food was served, I followed my cabinmates to the brazier and scooped off a portion of my meal, muttering my dad's name while silently asking him for guidance. Kyler couldn't be bad, could he? Send me a sign.

I didn't expect an answer; Apollo generally kept his thoughts on personal lives to himself. He did have a habit of leaving random haikus around the cabin once in a while when he felt like being 'helpful,' but usually it was just something unrelated to remind us that he wasn't actually allowed to interfere.

My brothers and sisters were busy discussing… something. I admit, I didn't hear most of it, if any of it. I was too busy staring at the Aphrodite table, desperately wishing Kyler would look back and also terribly afraid that he would catch me.

When the meal was over, we left the mess hall and I headed immediately to the amphitheatre, sneaking away so I would have to explain to anyone that I was meeting Kyler. Hopefully Theresa wouldn't spill the beans or show up and ruin everything because she didn't like the boy.

I sat down once I'd arrived, running through my lines over and over in my head. I didn't want to be caught off guard if he wanted to hear mine.

"Thanks for coming." His voice was quiet, but it still startled me out of my concentration. I jumped up and then sat back down quickly, scolding myself for both actions.

"No problem." I answered, attempting to smile and wondering how hideous my face looked. I knew I got awkward when I was around him, Theresa had told me enough, just like I'd told her how awkward she was around Jack. It was friendly rivalry, but I was a little self-conscious right now.

"Listen, I…" He smiled, and I could just see the embarrassment in the curve of his lips. "For being a child of Aphrodite, I'm not the smoothest speaker."

"Smooth speaker would be Apollo, probably. Or maybe one of the big three. Aphrodite is just-"

"Well, you know, love speeches and all that. We're supposed to be decent." He gave me a crooked grin, and my heart stopped. Or maybe that was just my breath, I couldn't really tell.

"You are more than decent." My voice was maybe a little breathy, and I prayed to my father that he didn't notice. Or really, just to the gods, I wasn't really sure what was going through my head.

"I know I don't have many lines, but I just want them to be good, you know?" He took a deep breath, and I shoved all the disappointment to the back of my mind. So close… but I couldn't worry about that now. He still wanted to work on his lines, and that's what I'd promised him.

* * *

Theresa opened the door to her cabin on the second knock, and once she saw it was me she backed away and let me in. It was really close to the time when we had to be in our cabins, and from the tear stains on my face and the blotchy red marks, she could tell I would be there for a while.

I went to her bed and sat down hard, hiding my face in my hands and attempting to control the heaving of my back.

"What did he do to you?" She demanded, and I could hear the telltale crackle of electricity as her anger sparked.

I couldn't answer, so she simmered down and after a few minutes came to sit next to me. "What did he do?"

I took a deep, shaky breath. "He didn't do anything." I said quietly.

"Like hell he didn't." She put a hand on my shoulder and said with forced calm, "Tell me."

"He didn't. We just went over lines, but I thought… you know… he started talking about being Aphrodite and he was supposed to be good at love speeches and all. It was my fault."

"He led you on." I jumped as a shock jumped from her fingers into my shoulder. She quickly pulled her hand away and apologized a few times before standing up to pace. "That Aphrodite boy… I'll shock him to Olympus, let his mother deal with him…"

"Just don't say anything, okay? I don't want him to know." The last thing I needed was everyone from Aphrodite cabin gloating and laughing at me. "I'll know by tomorrow if he's worth anything."

"He's not going to tell anyone." The words sounded wrong coming from Theresa's mouth, because they were full of faith as opposed to hatred.

"Why the change of heart?"

"I figure if he's dumb enough to screw it up like that, he can't very well be trying for initiation. They go all out for that."

My thoughts went to Jack, and I was sure hers did as well. That girl had strung him along for a solid month before breaking his heart, and then she immediately went to her cabin for approval and the necessary period of taunting. If he went to the cabin with this tonight, it'd be all over in the morning, and they'd know for sure.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing." Theresa sounded as if the words caused her discomfort, but I didn't press her. I knew she was trying to understand what he stood to gain from this, if anything, and decide if she'd misjudged him.

We pulled the mattresses off of both of the bunks in the cabin (because Theresa liked the top bunk, she got two) and laid them on the floor, pulling an abundance of blankets and pillows down as well. After a few hours of talking, I dozed off, feeling a lot better because of the words of wisdom and encouragement she gave me.

I dreamed of taunts and broken hearts that night, but that wasn't the worst thing I'd have to face in the morning.


	2. My Dad Disappears So My Brother is Arres

**Chapter 2: My Dad Disappears so My Brother is Arrested**

I woke bright and early the next morning apparently, because it wasn't at all bright outside the windows of the empty Zeus cabin. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, wondering what had woken me. As an Apollo kid, it was easy and natural for me to wake up in the morning to the sunshine and be ready to face the day.

I rolled over. That also meant I was not at all willing to get up when it was still dark out. That made winter hard sometimes, but it was something we worked around. I could hear Theresa's soft, steady breathing, and for some reason that really bothered me. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, wondering what time it was. I felt rested, which was weird for the middle of the night.

After a moment, I stood and walked to the window, trying to get some fresh air and hoping that would wake me up a little bit. I was rather surprised when I saw people running around outside, waving flashlights and lighting torches. I stumbled out of the cabin, stopping just as someone ran in front of me. I was about to yell something when I noticed my brothers and sisters sitting outside our cabin, looking lost and confused. I frowned and walked over to them.

"Megan, where have you been?" Jack asked as he stood and wrapped me in a hug. I tensed immediately; I didn't like people touching me casually, and he knew that. He respected that. Something was wrong.

"I was just in Zeus with Theresa…" I didn't want to finish my sentence, because I knew I would get some kind of 'I told you so.'

"Why?"

"Because… what's going on?"

Jack squeezed me once more before letting me go finally. I frowned as he took a deep breath and didn't answer me.

"Jack, tell me."

"It's 10:00 in the morning, Megan, but it's still dark."

I stared at him for a moment, waiting for the 'just kidding' and an unscheduled game of capture the flag had been approved. But his face was too serious, the corner of his lips didn't quirk like it did when he was joking. His eyes didn't sparkle, and he wasn't bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was easy to read, and everything I was reading spoke of fear and a deep sense of loss.

"Where's dad?" I breathed.

"That's what's wrong." He answered quietly. Immediately the gravity of the situation fell on me, and I couldn't help but sink back against Jack, lost suddenly. Apollo was gone. Surely it was just something minor, it wasn't like he wasn't coming back. He was probably just stuck on a poem somewhere and forgot that he was supposed to… but I knew it wasn't true. I knew, deep down, something was wrong, and I just hadn't noticed it until now.

Jack wrapped his arms around me and just held me, stroking my back carefully. We were the oldest, we were the ones that had met dad once or twice, we were the only ones who really cared about him as a parent and not some obscure figure. The others were upset, but Jack and I felt the weight fall heaviest upon our shoulders.

"We need to go to the Big House and find Chiron. He'll know what to do." Jack didn't sound so sure, but then again I knew he was just looking for something – anything – that would move us forward.

I nodded and pulled away from him, letting him take my hand as we began to run.

* * *

"I have heard nothing." My shoulders slumped as Chiron gave us the horrible news; that there wasn't anything he was able to do, and we would just have to wait and see what was going on. After all, Apollo wasn't known for being the most responsible god, and maybe he was just being lazy?

"But can't we-" Jack began, but Chiron didn't let him get very far.

"I'm not going to allow a quest until I know for sure there is a reason for it. The best you can do right now is go back to your cabin and wait until we have more news."

Jack felt me bristle and pulled me away before I could say something I'd regret. He dragged me toward the amphitheater, where someone had thoughtfully lit torches so we weren't completely in the dark. He sat me down and pushed me back down when I tried to stand.

"Just take a moment and think." He said quickly, seeing the anger in my eyes. I didn't do fear well, just like I didn't do sadness well; I much preferred to be mad at someone than to cry or whimper, and Jack knew that better than just about anyone.

"About what?"

"Chiron has his hands tied; you know dad, you know he's got a point. What you don't know is that Zeus has banned quests unless they are specifically asked for by one of the gods."

"He _what_?"

"I've been meaning to tell you; it was at the last counselor meeting, but I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since then. It's something to do with annoying minor quests and the number of deaths, I'm not sure. Chiron literally can't let us go unless someone notices that Apollo is missing and asks us to help."

"But that's-"

"Dumb, I know. But we can't do anything about it right now. I'm sure we'll hear from them shortly. For now, you should go talk to Theresa, unless you've already told her…?"

I shook my head grudgingly. It was annoying that Jack knew so much about us sometimes, because otherwise I could say she'd already gotten up. If Jack didn't have something for me to do, I would feel free to go on a rampage and possibly say a few choice words about the god of the sky.

"Then go do that. I'll meet you back here once you're done, then we can start plotting, alright? I just need some time to get the rest of the cabin in order."

"Yessir." I gave him a quick salute, which made him chuckle despite everything as he turned and jogged back to the cabins.

I took a moment to take stock of the emotions that were running through my head before I followed, turning to the Zeus cabin.

As it turned out, Theresa was already awake, sitting outside the door playing with sparks floating around her fingers. She glanced up when I jogged over to her, frowning.

"What's up?" She asked, and I took the time to slide down the side of the cabin and sit before I answered her.

"Apollo's gone."

"What?" She sounded incredulous, and also as if she didn't believe me. "You mean I don't get to see your attractive dad? What's with that?"

"This isn't funny." I snapped, and she quieted, noting the ferocity in my voice, barely contained.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, not taking her eyes off of my face. I stared straight ahead, fighting to keep a calm, controlled look. "What exactly do you mean?"

My breath was shaky. "Like, we don't know where he is. He's _gone._"

"Oh… I'm sorry." She repeated, at a loss for what to say. This was an unprecedented problem; we'd never just had a god disappear before, especially not a god that was so necessary to everyday life. "And Chiron won't…"

"Thanks for telling me that, by the way." I muttered bitterly. "I was about ready to bite Chiron's head off until Jack told me. I feel like that's information some of us would like to know."

"Well, maybe you should have taken counselor of Apollo cabin when it came to you, then, instead of letting it go to Jack."

"You know I don't want that kind of responsibility! And you're only counselor by default, you wouldn't like it so much if you had someone else you had to take care of."

"I would still take it, because it's the job of the oldest camper-"

"No it's not! Will you just lay off already? I would have expected one of you to pass this rather necessary information along to me, not pretend it didn't exist and go about daily life. This isn't just a request for mattresses or… or… I don't know, something dumb. I just…" I couldn't stop the tears that fell down my face. I didn't want to fight with my best friend, not right now. Not when everything was wrong and I couldn't do anything to fix it.

"Hey, sorry. I'm sorry, I just didn't know how to tell you…" Theresa hesitantly put a hand on my back, rubbing it in slow circles as I took long breaths, forcing the tears to stop. I guess I could understand not wanting to tell me; in all the years I'd been at camp, never once had I gotten a quest. I'd been training for years, trying to get a chance to prove myself a hero, and now the biggest thing to happen in all my years here, and I wasn't allowed. Anger still simmered deep inside me, but I could get over it.

I rubbed the back of my hand across my eyes and sniffed once more. Another deep breath and I felt like I was in control again. "It's fine." I said quietly. "We'll just have to wait until they give us a quest. They have to."

"Yeah." Theresa was humoring me, but I could pretend the agreement was sincere. I needed it right now.

"I'm meeting Jack back at the amphitheater, would you like to come?"

"This seems like an Apollo cabin thing, I'm not sure-"

"Please?"

Something in my voice must have told her how much I needed this, because she nodded. "Let's go." Suddenly she wasn't as confident or sure of herself, and I knew it was because she was going to be so close to Jack. Even now, she was terrified she'd do something dumb around him. It lightened my mood just a little bit.

We walked in silence back to the place I was usually so comfortable, but now it filled me with dread. What if we never got the chance to go on this quest? What if something serious had happened to dad? What if… but I couldn't let those thoughts distract me now. Now I needed to be strong for the rest of the cabin, just like Jack was. I needed to focus on the problem and how to solve it, not the ways it could go wrong.

I repeated those thoughts to myself as I paced in the amphitheater, waiting for Jack to return so we could start plotting. I had no doubt that, if the gods did not grant us a quest, we would go anyway, without the benefit of the Oracle. This was serious, and I knew without a doubt that Jack would go with me, if no one else would. I suspected Theresa wouldn't be opposed, though, and she'd been on a minor quest or two in her time.

We waited for a good hour before I decided to go seek Jack out, because I was too antsy and nervous to stay there any longer. Theresa followed me, too ready to get out of the amphitheater as well. I wanted to start plotting. This was my quest. I could feel it.

We were walking to the Apollo cabin, talking under our breaths about what we could do, when a group of Ares campers overwhelmed us from behind.

"Watch where you're going!" I demanded, and one of them turned toward me. He had a permanent sneer on his face, I could swear, and his buzz cut, while appropriate with his huge body, was not exactly flattering to his too-big forehead.

"We're on a mission form Chiron, brat; don't get in our way."

"What kind of mission, _Bruce_?" I snarled back. If I was a cat or a dog, my fur would have been bristling and my teeth would have been bared. As it was, I was stiff and ready to leap at him, even though I was half his size.

"Your brother thought he was going to organize a quest without permission. We've been sent to detain him until further notice."

"You can't do that-"

"Go talk to Chiron if you have a problem with it."

I didn't go talk to Chiron; I used my advantage as an Apollo kid and took off, sprinting toward the cabin so I'd get there first. It wasn't much of a difference, but I found Jack and pulled him away from the cabin.

"Megan, I'm busy-"

"Chiron apparently heard you're plotting, he's sent Ares kids to come get you."

"I'm not going to run away from it, Megan, where would I go?" He knew me too well, knew my intentions. I didn't want him to get in trouble, and it didn't matter that he'd be in trouble regardless; I didn't want him to suffer through the embarrassment of being 'detained' by Chiron and friends. Right now, Chiron and I weren't exactly friends, as far as I was concerned.

"Jack, please-"

"Once we get the quest, it'll all work out. Besides, they can't prove anything. I'm fairly certain that it's just a formality, because I'm in charge. They suspect that if anyone would be plotting, it'd be me, and my influence would spread to the other campers."

"But I've been here longer-"

"Which is why you need to be in charge while I'm otherwise occupied." He gave me his goofy grin just as the Ares kids caught up with us. They weren't at all gentle as they grabbed his arms and pulled him away. Somehow it felt more like they were taking him to death row than the Big House, and I couldn't get over the feeling of betrayal and loss. Theresa caught up with me, a look of fear dancing in the depths of her eyes.

"What happened?" She asked, her eyes darting to the sad, sorry sight of Jack being dragged away from his cabin, as if he was some murderer instead of the counselor for a mourning and lost cabin.

"Chiron thinks he's going to lead an illegal quest to find dad. So they're 'detaining' him until further notice." I'm not sure I was aware how dead my voice sounded, but Theresa certainly noticed. Last night my biggest problem had been a guy I liked was an Aphrodite kid. Now suddenly the sun was missing and my brother was taken from me. It wasn't as serious as I made it out to be, I'm sure, but it seemed bad enough.

"What?" I heard the telltale crackling of electricity as her anger swelled. "They can't do that! They have no proof!"

"That's what I said. Jack said to just let it happen." But I didn't want to be in charge. I didn't want to make the decisions. I didn't want to be stuck here when I should be doing something for my dad. No matter what Chiron said, I knew that 1: my father was in danger and 2: I needed to be the one to rescue him.

But I didn't know what I could do now.

**[[AN: Sorry this chapter is shorter, it seemed an ideal place to stop. I hope someone is reading this, because I'm rather fond of it. If you do indeed read it, please rate and review and share with all of your Percy Jackson Loving Friends? Thanks much.]]**


	3. A Goddess Gives Me a Quest

**Chapter 3: ****A Goddess Gives Me a Quest**

The next little while was a blur, and I'm not entirely sure how long it was. Without the sun, we only had the moon to judge time with. Artemis, however, seemed to be distracted with the disappearance of her brother, so she wasn't all that reliable, anyway.

I spent that time sitting in the Apollo cabin, much to the distress of my friends and siblings. I encouraged them to go out and train, work on their archery and go about business as usual, but I couldn't bring myself to follow my own advice. I sat on my bunk and wrote bad poetry in a notebook, ignoring the pleas to go to meals. Theresa tried to force me to go by getting angry and grabbing my hand, but in the end her attempts to get me out of my bed just made me feel sick.

I'm sure it wasn't all that long, but it felt like forever. My notebook filled with awful scrawlings that were all to do with losing my father, pitiful attempts to recreate his face, and personal feelings that sounded like a diary. In the end I threw the notebook in the trash and sighed. I knew the depression I was feeling belonged to all children of Apollo; when the sun didn't shine, we generally weren't happy. Since he was gone, it was beyond not happy. I was fairly certain we all could have been diagnosed for clinical depression now that he was missing. But for some reason, I couldn't shake it like the rest of my cabin was doing. Maybe it was that it was such a huge part of my identity, and had been for a longer time. Maybe it was just the combination of missing Jack and Apollo. Maybe I was just being overdramatic. It didn't matter.

I sunk down and pulled the bright yellow comforter over my head, hiding from the world. I didn't realize that I had dozed off until I was woken by the clop clopping of Chiron's hooves. I didn't leave my banishment to the blanket; I wasn't ready to see him, not unless he was going to offer me a quest.

"Megan, we've been given permission-"

I shot out from under the blanket, my eyes serious. "A quest?" I breathed.

"Yes. We are meeting with the cabin counselors, and as Jack is detained-"

"Why? He's the counselor, and if we've been given a quest he can take up his responsibilities again and-"

"Artemis came to us while you've been in here hiding." I could hear the disappointment in his voice, but I didn't care about that right now. "She told us specifically that the oldest camper of Apollo must find him. She also told us… well, we just aren't to let Jack free yet." It was all too obvious that he was withholding information. It was also all too obvious that it didn't matter what I said, he wouldn't tell me.

"He's not in trouble?"

"I'm not sure what's going on. We must hurry; the meeting has been called, and our guest won't wait."

It took me a few moments to process those words. "Our guest? Artemis is still…?"

"I'm afraid so. We must hurry." He waited for me to stand up and pull on a jacket before he turned and left, leading me at a clipped pace to the Big House. I had to jog to keep up.

"Why is she here?"

"You'll see that for yourself." He didn't seem happy about _that_, either. He was just a big ball of happiness, wasn't he? But I couldn't say much on that topic, so I kept my mouth shut.

We hurried to the war council room, where the counselors of the various cabins were already waiting. Theresa was there already there as well, and next to her… I assumed it was Artemis, but she was nothing like I'd expected. She was a young girl, with auburn hair and an expression that was much too serious for her age. Her eyes were disturbing, a silvery-yellow color, but otherwise I supposed she was really pretty. I couldn't get over the fact that she was keeping Jack detained.

"You are the daughter of my brother, I assume?" She asked quietly, and I nodded stiffly. I wanted to retort, "What's it to you?" but I figured that probably would offend the goddess. I wasn't exactly in the mood to offend anyone.

"Yes. What would you have of me, Lady Artemis?" Apparently I didn't quite succeed in sounding respectful, because she took a moment of silence to give me a look before she continued.

"As you know, my brother didn't make it to his post today. I haven't seen him since I took to the sky last night, and no one else has seen him since _he _left yesterday morning."

I nodded. We already knew that, but it was rude to interrupt a god. I was trying so hard to keep my mouth shut while she told me the things I already knew.

"I suspect… I suspect foul play from a half-blood or one of Apollo's many enemies."

That wasn't so surprising. Apollo seemed happy go lucky most of the time, but on occasion he was spiteful and did stupid things. He had a surprising amount of enemies for the god of poetry and healing.

"So you'd like a quest taken up." I prompted, wanting to get on with this. A quest had finally come. I was going to save my dad.

She was silent for a long time, and a glance at Chiron told me they were both in on some secret that I wasn't privy. I wanted to tell them that they should give me all the facts if they wanted me to rescue my dad and the sun god, but I figured that would be frowned upon, as well. I'm pretty good about holding my tongue when I think doing otherwise will get me killed.

"I suggest a smaller group; too many would draw attention." Artemis said quietly. "I have duties I must attend to, and my hunters wait just beyond the boundaries of your camp. I've been hunting for him, but soon I will have to fulfill my own duties. I am sure you can find him." She didn't sound so sure, but she didn't really have a whole lot of choice; I was sure Zeus wasn't letting her off just because Apollo was gone. He probably wanted to keep everything nice and normal… except for the sun missing. Otherwise, though, completely nice and normal.

"Of course, Lady Artemis." Chiron gave her his centaur bow, bending his front legs, and I knew to shield my eyes only moments before she flashed into her divine form and disappeared.

"You've been waiting for this, I believe." Chiron turned to me, and I nodded. It was time to visit the Oracle, something I'd always longed to do and yet was absolutely terrified of. The stories of it weren't all that attractive.

I made my way slowly to the attic, sneezing as I stepped up into the room full of old trophies and a solid layer of dust. I looked around the small, cluttered space before my eyes fell on the mummified woman. I wanted to back out of the room now; cemeteries made me uncomfortable, but this was a whole different level of creeped out.

Green smoke started spewing from the oracle's mouth. I figured this was it, so I refrained from fleeing the attic in favor of getting my prophecy.

The voice was creepier than the mummy herself, but I remained still as the words filled the space.

"_Night is when the goddess stirs,_

_relieving sun god of his burn._

_Sun god misses daily rise,_

_find the serpent in his guise._

_Clash of thought may bring discord,_

_follow only unheard word._

_Find the chariot of the sun_

_almost will the quest be done._

_Evil breeds on high with fear, _

_only can you find him here._

_Words of wisdom may she heed _

_Through the tears of thoughtless deed._

_Home brings no relief from war,_

_death waits at the refuge doors."_

Then the old oracle ate all the creepy green smoke she'd spewed and everything was quiet again. I wasted no time darting down the stairs, glad that it hadn't taken very much of my time. It was a good thing we didn't have any children of Hades here, because I probably would be afraid to walk past their cabin, let alone speak with them.

"Well?" Chiron asked as I clambered out of the attic. I turned and recited the prophecy I'd received. A frown touched his face, but he quickly hid it. Another thing he was hiding? I was sure it would come back to bite me later, but I was too freaked out and tired and upset and generally not in a good mood to push it right at the moment.

"I suggest you bring only two companions, keeping with Artemis' thoughts."

That was all well and good with me, because with Jack out of the picture I could only think of one person I would want to go with me. The second would be more difficult.

"Go seek out your companions, and spend the rest of this… well, until the moon is visible discussing what you should do. Then you should rest and leave. This cannot wait long."

"Aren't you going to help us…?" I asked. I'd never been on a real quest, but I was fairly certain Chiron usually helped, at least made a suggestion on where to go first, or what they could be facing. Right now he was giving us absolutely nothing.

"You can find me if you have problems… I'll be around." He was much too distracted for my taste, but I didn't know what I could do.

Theresa was outside the Big House, waiting for me. She already knew that she was going, so my asking was just a formality.

The obligatory response to my invitation: "You know, as a child of the big three, you're going to have monsters swarming."

"We can handle it." The obvious answer.

"How many can we have?"

"One more. Any suggestions?" All thought of our previous disagreements was forgotten in light of the serious task we had ahead of us. We needed to be a team, not enemies.

"Someone useful."

At that moment, I heard someone yelling my name. A sign from the gods as to who should join our quest? And then my face turned beet red as I saw Kylar jogging toward us, his strong arms bent and muscled and his camp shirt tight across his chest.

I really need to stop noticing these things.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked as he stopped close to us. Theresa wasn't happy he was there, but I ignored that. I was leaving soon. I may never make it back. We could all die gruesome deaths. Point was, I may never get to see this beautiful man again.

"I heard the news. You've accepted?"

"Yeah."

After a moment, he asked, "Can I talk to you?"

"You… well, you are." I answered lamely.

"Um… privately, is what I meant." He smiled, and I knew I didn't stand a chance with him on my own.

"Oh, of course." I answered, because I couldn't say no to that smile, or the hopeful glint in his eyes. Even though the pain of his unintentional (or was it?) rejection was close, I couldn't stop the words.

"Shall we?" He gestured down the path, and I nodded.

"I'll meet you at your cabin?" I asked, turning to Theresa. Her arms were crossed, and I could sense the sparks crawling across her skin, but she nodded stiffly.

"Yeah." She marched to her cabin, obviously frustrated with me and my fickle emotions.

"So, about last night… listen, I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I'd done until we were finished, and I felt awful. And I just wanted to tell you before you left. So sorry." He gave me another dazzling smile, and I couldn't find the words to answer him. I'm fairly certain I looked like a fish, gasping for breath. He was apologizing. Did that mean he wasn't playing me? Or was it some clever plot? I really shouldn't trust him. I should walk away and tell him that I wasn't interested. That would show him that his initiation wouldn't work on me.

If any part of my mind had been working, those probably would have been my thoughts. As it was, I just nodded.

"So… we're good?" He asked, a hopeful glint in his hazel eyes.

"Yeah."

He smiled and wrapped me in a hug, his strong arms squeezing my shoulders gently before he let me go. I didn't bother to tell him that I didn't do hugs; it didn't matter at this point. I was beyond comprehension.

"Good luck on your quest."

"Thanks." He started walking away. I felt awkward when he caught me staring, but then I realized that he'd turned around to wave at me. He was staring, too. So it wasn't quite as awkward as it could have been.

I made my way back to the Zeus cabin, maybe with a little too much skip to myself for the situation, but Kyler… well. I didn't need to say anything else on that topic, as far as I was concerned.

I didn't bother knocking when I got to the cabin, and when I walked in Theresa was looking at her things.

"Missing something?" I asked, judging by the confused and not all that happy look on her face.

"No, deciding what to take. It's a little depressing that I don't have many options." She stared at her things for a while longer; a few camp t-shirts, a few dresses, some tennis shoes and a pair of sandals. She had her celestial-bronze knife named Ktepon that doubled as a dagger, a magical item that appeared as a faux ear spike when not in use. There were a few books that she wouldn't bring because they were for recreational reading and not information, an old bow that she hadn't used for years and would probably never use unless forced, and a small snow globe of lightning that rumbled when shaken, a gift from her father for a quest well done.

She picked up the snow globe and shook it gently, letting it murmur to her. She stuffed that in the small pocket of her black backpack, as well as two changes of clothes.

"We'll have to get some nectar and ambrosia from Chiron." I said quietly. She nodded. Neither of us really had much that we could bring. I had my white bow named Atrometos, carved from some wood or horn that I didn't know, a gift from my father. It had miniature golden suns and light gray clouds that seemed to float around it, and when it wasn't in use it was a charm bracelet with charms of clouds and suns. The quiver was a yellow belt that clashed horribly with my orange camp t-shirts, but fit in perfectly with the few other clothes I had in my cabin. I had a few knick knack things that I'd gotten from friends in the Hermes cabin, but usually those were just things they'd come across and didn't have any use for. I just liked to have things on the small shelf by my bad, something I shared with Jack because it was for the head counselor and he didn't use it.

Which brought me back to the realization that we had to pick one more person for our quest, since Artemis decided to let Jack rot.

"I wish Jack was coming." She muttered, just as I was thinking it. I sighed and nodded. There wasn't really anything I could say.

"We still have to pick someone else." I reminded her quietly. "Athena cabin could be helpful."

"Know it alls." She said with distaste.

"But they could be helpful, they know a lot-"

"But _'clash of thought brings discord/follow only unheard word.'_ We don't need them, and it probably wouldn't be very helpful, anyway. They're full of words."

"Fine. Ares… no." As good an idea as it might seem, I couldn't see myself working well with any of the Ares campers. Theresa nodded in agreement.

"Hermes?"

"Who?" As much as I liked the campers in the Hermes cabin, I also knew that we wouldn't be able to pick just one of them. We weren't necessarily close with any one of them, and picking one over another was bound to start a fight.

"Cory?" I made a face at the suggestion of the unclaimed kid. "What? At least we'll have something to look at."

"We might as well pick someone from Aphrodite, if that's the only reason he's along."

"I will punch them all in the face. Besides, they'd be too distracted by their reflection to be any real help."

I frowned, recognizing the jab at Kyler in her words. "It wouldn't be that much difference, bringing someone just because he's pretty."

"He probably has some hidden talent." I continued to frown at her, and finally she sighed. "Alright, so who does that leave? Demeter, Dionysus, and Hephaestus. None of which sound too promising." It was hard to imagine taking Dionysus or Hephaestus kids on a quest with us, if only because I couldn't see their abilities being very useful. And Demeter kids… well, just because I was the daughter of the sun god didn't mean I got along with the flower children, and they definitely didn't like the occasional havoc that Theresa put their gardens through. Most of the time that was an accident.

"I don't know." I admitted. "Is it a crime to go with two?"

"It's frowned upon, but they can't stop us." Theresa had the evil glint in her eye that I always associated with mischief. "We'll just leave before Chiron can stop us."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the grin. "I suppose that could work. We should probably get some sleep before we leave… I'm assuming it's about that time. Should we just say the first one awake should get the other?"

"Yeah. I'll pick up the ambrosia and nectar before I head to bed… I'm a little too wound up to sleep yet."

"Don't be up too late."

She nodded. I gave her a salute before backing out of the room, into the cool air and the darkness. I realized that I was probably missing the sunset right about now, and I felt a pang. It wasn't that I was in love with Apollo; that would be a little awkward. But there was something in me that absolutely needed the sun, and the disappearance felt worse than all the heartbreak I'd suffered.

I trudged over to the Apollo cabin, where several of my brothers and sisters were sitting in the light of the torches, talking in hushed tones. I noticed a few streaks of makeup down the girls' faces from crying. I was old enough to keep it together, but I didn't know how to comfort all of my siblings. I wasn't good at that. And besides, I was leaving in the morning. I just hoped they could cope without either of their senior campers and their father.

I didn't speak with anyone as I went to my bunk, but they spoke to me. There were congratulations on my finally getting my own quest, there were sentiments for Jack, there were well-wishers for my quest. Mostly there were pleas to bring dad back safely and bring normalcy back.

I fell into bed and listened to the quiet murmurs of depressed Apollo kids. A few still tried to talk to me, but were pulled away by campers who knew I needed my rest for the quest in the morning. Sleep found me just as the moon became visible in the window.

_Darkness. I feel panic in my heart because I know that it's supposed to be day, but the sun is gone… Apollo is gone. I remember that fairly quickly, but it doesn't calm the fear that is racing through my veins. I stumble blindly for a moment before I let my bracelet shift into Atrometos, pulling an arrow from the quiver across my back. I nock it and point it ahead of me, hoping I can catch someone if I'm careful enough._

_I hear a scream from farther ahead and start to run. It sounds too familiar… it sounds like Theresa. Like Theresa in pain. I almost trip but strong arms grab me and help to keep me upright. I looked up at Kyler, who seemed to glow despite the pitch black around him. He gave me a tight smile as he squeezed my hand once._

"_We don't have much time, so we have to go quickly and not fall." He said quietly. I nodded and we began to run, his hand still firmly clasped around mine. While he was there, I didn't trip; for some reason, my feet were surefooted and I found it easy to navigate._

_The scream pierced my ears again, and I cringed. Kyler squeezed my hand tighter and picked up the pace. For an Aphrodite kid, he sure was athletic. _

_Suddenly we were falling. My scream was cut off as we hit the ground, and suddenly I felt claustrophobic, even though I couldn't see any walls around me. I could _feel_ that they were there, and suddenly Kyler's eyes were closed and he was completely still except for his quick breath. I pounded on the walls that surrounded us, long and low, like…_

_Like a coffin._

I woke with a scream that roused many of my brothers and sisters. They hurried to come to me, trying to explain to me that it had only been a nightmare, that they were having the same because dad was gone. But I knew the truth.

It was foresight. A glimpse of what was to happen on our quest, probably a gift from dad… wherever he was.

And as much as I hated to think about Kyler being in that kind of danger, I also knew that he had to go on the quest with us.


	4. I Sleep Over in Aphrodite Cabin

**/AN: Shorter chapter. And I realized that I never really gave a description for Theresa or Megan; I couldn't get links to work (for whatever reason, I'm probably just dumb) but you can go to my DeviantArt page (Flaricia) and I have pictures of the two of us. Just in case you were wondering./**

**Chapter 4: I Sleep Over in Aphrodite Cabin**

Despite the protests of my brothers and sisters, I snuck out of the cabin. I didn't see the harpies anywhere; they probably weren't far away, but I was safe for now. I darted across the grass at top speed, aiming for the Aphrodite cabin. I knocked quickly on the door and then turned to watch for the Harpies. I could hear them now; the beat of their wings and their cackling to one another. I knocked on the door again, hoping someone would answer me. I couldn't be caught by the harpies right now, but I needed to talk to Kyler. I needed to ask him to come. It seemed much too important to wait until the morning.

"What do you want?" I didn't recognize the voice that answered me.

"I need to speak with Kyler, please. It's important."

"We need our beauty sleep. Scat."

"You don't understand, it's about my dad-"

"Oh, Megan, is it? Well, too bad, your quest will have to wait until the morning. Kyler is sleeping."

"Please, I just need-"

"You better run back to your cabin, before the Harpies catch you. You know how they love a good half-blood meal."

I knocked again, but there was no answer. The harpies were close now; they'd have to let me in soon or I'd be done.

"I need to speak with Kyler!" I said as loudly as I dared, knocking quickly. "It's important, I need to-"

The door swung open and there was Kyler, pillow lines still on his face and his hair sticking up on one side and falling over his forehead. "Megan, what is it?" He didn't smile at me, and he had bags under his eyes. I was starting to believe that beauty sleep was a real thing, but I just hurried inside and shut the door behind me. I heard the Harpies pass the cabin and I sighed my relief.

"Too close." I muttered.

"Megan, what-"

"I had a dream. I think you need to go on our quest in the morning."

"I… what?" He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, blinking a few times. "Quest?"

"You know, the quest Theresa and I are leaving for in the morning. To find my dad. I want you to go."

"Why me?" I wasn't sure, but there might have been a bit of fear in his eyes. Suddenly he seemed wide awake, and I wondered what it was that was bothering him.

I didn't have time to care. "Because you were in my dream. You were on the quest. I know it was a… well, it showed the quest. You need to be there."

Kyler seemed to relax a little. "Oh. Alright. When, in the morning?"

"I'll find you. I just wanted to make sure… I just wanted you to know. Thanks." I started toward the door, but Kyler grabbed my hand gently before I could.

"The harpies will know you've been out past curfew. Might as well just stay here, until morning."

I was surprised by his offer; Aphrodite cabin didn't exactly like me, but no one objected to Kyler's statement.

"Where would I sleep?" I asked. There weren't any extra bunks in the cabin; it was just enough to match the number of campers.

I wasn't sure, but Kyler might have flushed a little bit. It was hard to tell in the dark. "You could have mine. I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, I couldn't. Listen, I'll just head back-"

"We could share it." He said instead, and it was my turn to flush, but I was bright red and I was sure he could tell.

"That… I…" I couldn't find the right words to answer, so he just took my hand and let me to a bunk pushed into the corner. It wasn't large, necessarily, but it was bigger than our single beds over in the Apollo cabin. That was probably because we preferred room to mess around as opposed to room to sleep.

"Go ahead." He gestured toward the bed with sheets and blanket thrown back.

"Kyler, I couldn't-"

"It's the least I could do, since you came all the way over here to talk to me. Go on." He nudged me gently, and I suddenly realized how tired I was. I nodded and crawled all the way over to the wall, pulling his blankets up to my chin. He crawled in after me, keeping as close to the side of his bed as he could.

I faced the wall and though, '_How did I get into this?'_ before I fell asleep.

I woke as soon as the sun should have come up. Everyone in the Aphrodite cabin was still fast asleep, including Kyler. I sat straight up and looked around, confused, before I remembered last night, the dream… I pushed that to the back of my mind. I knew enough about prophecy and foresight to know it would happen no matter what I did, so I shouldn't worry about it.

"Kyler." I whispered, hoping to avoid waking everyone else in the cabin. He didn't so much as stir. "Kyler, wake up." I said a little louder, but he still didn't move. After a moment, I built up my courage and gently shook his shoulder. "Kyler, we need-"

"What?" He sat straight up. "What do we need?"

"To wake up."

"Why?"

"The quest. Remember?"

"Oh… yeah. Yeah, I'll get my stuff together quick." He rolled out of bed, his movements sluggish. I wondered if this was how all Aphrodite kids were in the morning, and decided I didn't really care to find out.

I watched him grab a bag from under the bed and start going through the small cabinet next to his bed that held all of his possessions. He threw a few shirts in, some pants, a can of cologne, a comb. Then he strapped a sword on and ran his hands through his hair a few times before putting on a pair of shoes. Then he nodded at me. I was surprised he was bringing so little, but maybe that was because he realized that he didn't have a lot of room or need on a quest. Usually Aphrodite kids insisted on at least a suitcase, if not more.

"Where to?"

"I need to go grab my stuff quickly."

"I'll come with you."

I was terrified about the prospect of Kyler seeing my area, which was usually untidy. For me, untidy meant comfortable, but I knew most cabins disagreed.

I was also terrified that it was Kyler. And I had slept in the same bed as him. And he was Kyler.

"You had a dream of the quest?" He asked me as we walked. I nodded. "What was it about?"

I took a deep breath, but I just didn't want to say it. I didn't want to tell him I'd heard my best friend screaming in pain and my crush trapped in a coffin, probably close to death.

He must have seen my hesitancy, because he didn't press me for more. Without warning he pulled me into a hug. I froze, but he didn't seem to notice. As much as I liked him, I didn't like touch. And this hug was going forever.

He did smell really good, though.

"It'll be fine." He murmured. I nodded slowly against his chest.

"Thanks." He let me go and we continued walking, as if nothing had happened. Except inside my stomach was full of butterflies and I couldn't quite seem to get enough breath. Because Kyler had just hugged me.

"I'll wait out here for you?" He asked as we reached the golden cabin where my siblings still slept.

"That would probably be best." Relief washed through me. Kyler wouldn't see how much of a slob I was. I gently pushed open the door and hurried to my stuff. Some clothes, some snack foods, a map, a tent that could barely fit three people, and the only money I had. I'd been keeping it, collecting more just for a quest. There were few golden drachmas in there, as well, which would be helpful for Iris messages and the like. I didn't know what else I could possibly bring, so I left. None of my brothers and sisters were awake, but I was sure Jack was, wherever they were keeping him locked up. We'd been waking up at dawn for years.

"Ready?" Kyler asked as I quietly shut the door.

"Now we just need Theresa."

Kyler nodded. We walked up to the big cabin that belonged to Zeus, where Theresa was probably still asleep. She liked her sleep.

"Listen." I said quickly as we got closer to the cabin. "Theresa doesn't know that I invited you to come, and I should probably give her a forewarning. You know, because…" I almost admitted that she hated his guts, but cut myself off just before.

"She doesn't like me, yeah."

Well, maybe he already knew that. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Don't worry about it." He flashed that grin at me and I couldn't help but feel a little better. "Take as long as you need."

He was too understanding. Way too understanding. I hurried into the cabin, dropping my bag just inside the door. There was a giant statue of Zeus glaring at me, and I knew Theresa would give me much the same look when she found out.

She was still asleep, as I'd predicted, wrapped in blankets.

"Theresa." My voice wasn't gentle or quiet, and she started awake.

"Time?" She muttered.

"Yes. We need to get going." I decided it would be best to let her wake up a little bit before I dropped the news.

She nodded and pulled the blankets over her head for a second. Then she pushed them completely off of her and stood as I lit a torch. She blinked at me a few times before getting dressed and grabbing an already packed bag. I hadn't realized she'd already packed; I was hoping she'd take the extra time and I'd be able to tell her.

"Let's go." She muttered. I knew she wasn't mad at me yet. She was just half asleep. That would change soon.

"Before that… last night, I had a dream." I told her the details, watching her frown.

Once I was finished, she said quietly, "That doesn't sound happy."

"No. And… well, it will come true no matter what we do, and I think this means that we'll need… we'll need Kyler. So I invited him." I didn't tell her that I'd gone in the middle of the night and slept with him. That would be a little too far, and from the anger in her eyes I wasn't so sure I'd live through that extra bit of information.

"You what?" She demanded. "Him? I thought we'd decided that we didn't need anyone else-"

"Yeah, well, we need him. That's what my dream told me. If you want to doubt the foresight from a daughter of Apollo, that's your problem. This is my quest, and we need him."

"I do doubt it. I think you were just having a bad dream and you're in love with Kyler. I think you just want him along so you can ogle him."

"That's the only reason you wanted Jack along." I accused.

"The difference here is that you wanted Jack along as well."

"And Jack is incapable of coming. You just have a grudge against Aphrodite cabin on behalf of Jack, your dislike is completely unfair."

"It's well deserved. They do nasty things in the name of their mother."

"You do nasty things in the name of your father." I regretted the words as soon as I'd said them. She gave me a look of incredulity.

"Like what?" She demanded.

"I didn't mean it-"

"No, you did. What are you talking about?"

"Just… sometimes you use your powers to get what you want, even if no one else wants to do it. And you'll shock people that disagree with you."

"It's not my fault."

"You don't try to stop it."

She stared at me for a while. "I hope you're happy. If we get stabbed in the back, it's on you." She stormed out of the cabin, her pack slung across her back. I followed, cringing. That had gone a lot worse than I'd hoped.

Kyler was a little red in the face when we walked out, and Theresa was ignoring him for all she was worth. I was impressed that he didn't look offended in the slightest. That was more than I could have done.

"Are we ready then?" I asked. Kyler gave me a quiet "yes." Theresa completely ignored me. I sighed inwardly. This was going to be fun.

"Then let's go find Argus."

We'd decided to check out Colorado, since we weren't entirely sure where else to look. The prophecy had said 'on high.' Colorado had mountains. That was as far as we got.

We sat in silence as Argus drove. Kyler was staring out the window, taking in all the sights. I stared at the road ahead of us. Theresa glared at the opposite window, and I was fairly certain she was too mad to actually enjoy the view. There wasn't a whole lot I could do about that.

Argus dropped us off at the bus station, since we didn't feel entirely comfortable flying; Zeus had made the rule, but Artemis had given us the quest. He may be a little sore about that, and I, for one, didn't feel like tempting him to blow us out of the sky.

"Thanks, Argus." I said as I jumped out of the van and looked around the station. It'd been so long since I'd been in the real world… it seemed so surreal. I couldn't quite believe the amount of people that were milling around, rushing from one place to another, talking on cell phones… cell phones. Not that I had any use of one; not only would it draw monsters like crazy, but who would I call? The family I never saw, that was ashamed of me? The friends I had known seven years ago? They probably thought I'd moved or had died or something, if they even remembered me. Still, it would feel cool to have something so incredibly… normal.

And then there were all the lights. Every light was on as people made their way around the city. The Mist probably made them think it was some sort of solar eclipse, so on occasion they would look up but no one seemed overly worried about it. It helped to remind me to control my own fear, because it would only hinder us.

I heard the other two mutter their own thanks before grabbing their things, and then we were off, into the crowds of people to try to find my dad.


	5. I Learn that the Gods aren't Nice People

**_Chapter 5: I Learn that the Gods aren't Nice People_**

The journey toward the mountains was awkwardly silent, and probably the worst thing I had ever experienced despite all of my years of dealing with the Ares cabin and being denied a quest. Theresa ignored Kyler and me completely, and I was too terrified of making a fool of myself to hold a long conversation with Kyler. As much as he tried, I just couldn't talk to the ridiculously attractive man walking next to me.

"So, where do you think we should go first?" Kyler asked, the second time since we'd gotten out of the van. I understood that he was just trying to make conversation, figure out what we were doing, but the answer would be the same.

"I don't know."

"Well… Should we…" He sighed and trailed off. I felt bad.

"I think we should find someone who knows the mountains well, right? Theresa?" I turned to look at her, and she continued to stare straight ahead. "Or not…"

"That would be good." Kyler smiled at me and I looked away. Dang it, why was I so pathetic? I stared at the ground and nodded.

"Okay."

More silence as we walked down the crowded sidewalks. There was a tourist shop down the road a ways that we turned into. Kyler used his charms to get information from the frazzled employee behind the counter, and I knew she was in love with him before Kyler had hardly said two words. Jealousy surged through me, irrational but untamable.

"There are tours available tomorrow, and she invites us to come back then." Kyler shrugged and crossed his arms. "What do we do?"

"Aren't you Aphrodite's kid? Can't you charm her into giving us a tour now?" Theresa's tone was snide and rude, but I hadn't expected anything less from her at this point: after hours of the silent treatment, I hadn't expected her to suddenly be over her distaste for my decision or Kyler.

"It's not that simple-"

"If we were going to bring an Aphrodite kid, couldn't we have brought a good one?" Theresa rolled her eyes and then turned a glare to me, giving me a not so subtle hint.

"Theresa, please…" I sighed. "We can find somewhere to rest and gather our thoughts, maybe come up with a plan, right?"

Kyler nodded, and Theresa sulked, so I decided that seemed as good a plan as any.

Kyler went back to speak with the information woman, who fell over herself to offer him brochures and suggestions about where we should go. Kyler just smiled and nodded, watching attentively as she pointed out certain things on a map. When he thanked her and walked back to us, I watched the woman stare, her eyes roving up and down his body as he grinned at me. He didn't bother to grin at Theresa, who was prepared to meet it with a scowl.

"There's a nice place we can stay for the night that's rather cheap just a few blocks north, and she also suggested a few touristy things we can do until the next tour, if we're interested."

"We aren't here to be tourists, we're here to find Apollo." Theresa's words weren't quite a snarl, but they were close; I could tell she was only trying to prove that Kyler wasn't the best choice, but she was neither convincing me nor was she being helpful. I was ready to snap at her, but Kyler just chuckled quietly.

"You're right. I just thought… well, there's apparently a place called 'The Garden of the Gods' that I thought we could check out. It seems to me a strange coincidence, if nothing else." He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "It will probably end up being nothing, but there's always a chance…"

Theresa opened her mouth to comment and then closed it, frowning. I watched her for a moment before nodding at Kyler. "Where do we have to go?"

"Colorado Springs, a little over an hour from here. I wouldn't suggest going tonight…" Kyler couldn't suppress the yawn that crept up on him. Rather perfect timing, and it spread through Theresa and I quickly. It had been a long ride here, and we had not slept very well at all on the 28 hour bus ride from Long Island.

I couldn't suppress the fear that something had happened to my dad, nor the sense of urgency that coursed through me, but I knew that Kyler was right; if we were going to find him, we needed to be at our best.

"I should hope not." Theresa said through a second yawn. She didn't acknowledge that Kyler had had a good idea, but I was glad that she was at least not arguing with him for the sake of arguing with an Aphrodite kid.

"Then lead the way." I gestured to Kyler, who stepped forward after a moment's hesitation and a glance at Theresa and me. Clearly he had not expected to be asked to assume the responsibility of leading the group. His walk was easy and confident, although he kept glancing back to make sure the two of us were following him. It was cute, but the glares that Theresa kept giving him were bound to discourage him soon. At least they weren't arguing, I kept telling myself. As long as they weren't arguing, I'd leave them be, because I wasn't about to force them to get along.

Kyler led us past buildings that almost reached the clouds with lights that lit up the darkness that Apollo's absence created. Neon lights told us where the bars were located, which restaurants were open, and what the latest news was. People walked past us with their noses in their electronics or glancing at their watches and turning their attention back to the road in front of them. They were all too busy heading one way or another to notice the three half-bloods that were wearing matching shirts and making their way down the busy streets on their own. That suited me just fine.

It didn't take long to reach the building that Kyler said was our destination, although I wasn't sure 'nice' was a word that could be used to describe it. The doors were heavy wood, and they were shut tight with no windows either on or around them. It wasn't very tall, especially compared to the buildings around it, and the windows on the top floor were boarded up. Chipped paint covered the sides of the building, but the front was completely done in bricks that had definitely seen better days. The sign was in cursive and flashed neon red; the color combined with my dyslexia made it impossible for me to tell what it said, so I was trusting Kyler when he said it was the right place. He turned to us with a sheepish expression.

"She told me it was a nice place…"

"Yeah, thanks for that, glad you trust everyone who tells you anything." Theresa rolled her eyes. "Let's find somewhere else."

I wanted to agree, but I also knew we probably wouldn't be able to afford anywhere nice. Heck, we probably couldn't afford here. What choice did we have?

"Let's." I wasn't sure if Kyler's response was an attempt to smooth things over… but no, he _was_ an Aphrodite kid. I should probably remember that. He wasn't likely to stay anywhere this run down, regardless of how easy it was to hang out with him.

"Uh, yeah, as much as I would love to stay somewhere nice…" I started, but Kyler just smiled and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out a worn, brown leather wallet with a rubber band wrapped around it to keep everything inside. Without pause he pulled off the rubber band, opened it, and pulled out a golden credit card, holding it up as if it was supposed to mean something to me. I stared at him with confusion for a minute before shrugging. "That means absolutely nothing to me."

"A gift from my mother. She knows we like nice stuff, and she figured this would be helpful." He smiled, sticking the little gold plastic back into his wallet.

"And when did she give you that…?"

Kyler blushed, a very uncharacteristic thing for him to do, and looked at the ground. Immediately Theresa tensed, and after a few moments of silence I was about to do the same. He shuffled a little bit, avoiding our gaze.

"Is there something you'd like to tell us, _Kyler_?" Theresa snarled, suddenly aggressive. The way she said his name spoke of the hatred that she usually kept at least a little buried. She took a step forward and he stepped backward, putting his hands up.

"Hey now, just let me explain." Kyler smiled, attempting to diffuse a little of the tension, but it just made Theresa angrier. I could see the sparks jumping around her fists, and I worried that one of the people walking around them might notice – or worse, catch a little of the anger that was flickering around her.

"How about we take this somewhere else?" I asked hopefully. I really wanted to know what was going on, but I really didn't want to make a scene.

"How about you just tell us what's going on." There was no doubt that Theresa was making a demand and not asking a question. A few of the people took their eyes off of their phones and other electronics to look at the two.

"I just… Mom told me a day or so before the quest that I'd be going… and I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"Why did she decide you were coming? How did she know?" Theresa turned her outraged look to me. "And how do we know she isn't the reason you had that dream?"

Now I most definitely didn't want to be here, as the blush on Kyler's face was quickly matched by the one on my own. I had been so sure it was something from my dad, something he'd managed to get to me to help me find him. I'd been sure Kyler was necessary because it was foresight. Now that it came down to it, I wasn't so sure it hadn't been Aphrodite meddling because she saw some kind of tragic love story in the making, something she could play with and enjoy.

I couldn't find the words to answer my friend, but she didn't seem to need them. She just nodded and turned back to Kyler. "Time for you to go."

"I can't just go-"

"Then time for us to tie you up and leave you somewhere. Take your pick."

I should probably say something here. I should probably defend him. But I couldn't find the words past the embarrassment I was feeling. I'd been played. By the love goddess. How does that even happen?

"I'm a part of this quest now, and it's dangerous for one half-blood to go alone-"

"You're only on this quest because your mother is a tricksy woman."

"I'm not arguing, but-"

"Theresa, just…" That was about as far as I got, but at least she didn't attempt to further convince him he wasn't welcome. Because, truth be told, I still wanted him on the quest. Even if Aphrodite had been the only reason he was here. I knew that generally she didn't encourage happy endings, but maybe there was hope, if… well, I wasn't really sure, but Kyler couldn't very well go back to camp alone, anyway.

"Megan, I swear, I thought she just knew you were going to pick me, I don't know why she would… when you told me, I was surprised, but I couldn't tell you- please, I just-"

"Shut your mouth." Theresa cut off his stammered apology. At first I thought she was just being rude, but then I realized that she was worried about me: I was fairly certain my red face was also wearing a dorky expression, and I had just found out that the vision that was supposed to be a gift from my father was probably a plot to break my heart. Maybe it had, and that was what this warmth was. A gentle hand on my arm was her encouragement, but I wasn't sure if I needed it or not.

"We should go somewhere. We have enough money to be comfortable, and I'd really… I'd really like a shower."

I was aware that my voice was a little empty as my thoughts swirled around the reality of what I'd learned, but somewhere I knew that I should focus on what we were going to do next and then mull the unfolding of events.

Theresa glared at Kyler before nodding. "Sounds like a plan." Maybe I was a little surprised that she was being so easy going all of a sudden, but Kyler certainly wasn't feeling any of the love. "Loverboy, go find us somewhere nice to stay. And pay for whatever we want."

"Yeah… yeah, of course." Kyler answered, clearly in no mood to argue. I wondered if that was because he felt bad about what his mom had done or if he was just aware that he couldn't beat Theresa in an argument when it came right down to it. After all, her dad was one of the most stubborn people – gods – I knew of, and Theresa had inherited a lot of that from him. Whatever the case, he turned and started walking. Theresa pulled me along after a moment, realizing that I was a little lost in my own thoughts.

I honestly didn't see the outside of the hotel at all. I vaguely remembered walking inside and finding our room before I locked myself in the bathroom. The mirror was a full size mirror, completely covering the wall opposite the door of the fairly large bathroom. I stared at myself for a while, stared at the completely blank face and the casual stance that didn't speak of pain or confusion. I looked completely normal, bored even, but deep inside there was a raging turmoil waiting to break out. It was unnatural for me to feel so torn up inside, but I also had never been tested by the gods. I had never been put in a position to be at the mercy of the gods, but I'd always thought that wasn't really a _thing_. Sure, I'd heard enough heroes come back from various quests and talk about how this god had totally gotten in the way, or they'd almost finished but that god had turned what had been a successful quest into a total failure. I'd heard of Aphrodite's many quests to find new and interesting love stories, and what she called 'interesting' was definitely not 'happy.' Still, it had never occurred to me to be worried that something like that would happen. Especially not to _me._

The shock that it _had_ happened to me combined with my general inability to show weakness resulted in the bland face that gazed back at me from the mirror, passive and uninterested. But even as I watched, that face melted into an expression laden with deep sadness, something I'd never seen on my own face before. I watched the light sparkle off of eyes that were just a few seconds away from tears and the shaking of knees that just wanted to fall down and curl in a ball, and I couldn't look at it anymore.

I turned on the shower, quickly stepped out of my already dirty camp clothes, and stood under the hot water. I couldn't stand to watch the pain that was slowly dawning on my face, or feel the hot tears slide down my cheek as I realized that maybe it wasn't only Aphrodite initiation I had to worry about. Maybe it wasn't only finding my dad that I had to worry about. Maybe it wasn't only keeping Theresa from killing Kyler that I had to worry about.

Maybe I had to worry about what I would do if Aphrodite saw a tragic love story in the making, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

After I decided that I was done being melodramatic, I turned off the water and towel dried quickly. I wrapped the towel firmly around myself and opened the bathroom door just a crack to find a fresh pair of jeans and a clean, yellow t-shirt sitting just outside the door. I was grateful to Theresa for realizing my needs before I did and quickly dressed in the clean clothes. I ran a hand through my hair before pulling it up into a bun.

My eyes were still a little puffy, but Kyler was in a different room and Theresa was already out on the far twin bed. I turned off the lights and quietly went to curl up on my own bed, falling asleep rather quickly and dreaming of the gods, each pointing me in a different direction that I knew wouldn't lead to my father, but I went anyway.


	6. We Meet a Goddess in a Garden

**Chapter 6: We Meet a Goddess in a Garden**

I didn't wake up until the next morning, when the sun would have normally risen. Theresa was already up and about, using the desktop computer that was provided as part of the service of the hotel. I stretched and sat up, feeling much better than when I had fallen asleep. Theresa glanced over her shoulder and back at the computer.

"It's about time." She said as she scrolled through a page of information that I couldn't read. I pulled myself off the bed and to my feet, stretching quickly before going to lean over Theresa and see what she was looking at. It seemed to be a list of landmarks located in Colorado, and I couldn't help the grin.

"Thinking of taking a vacation?" I asked, but she completely ignored me in favor of gaining knowledge of the area. She didn't want to be shown up by Kyler again, I assumed. "What are you thinking, though?"

"Just doing some research."

"You sound like an Athena kid now."

She elbowed me, catching my hip bone and making both of us cringe. I gently hit her shoulder before jumping backwards to avoid another painful attack. She couldn't hide the grin, and eventually she gave up trying. As long as it was just the two of us, she was the same person she'd always been. It was only when Kyler was around that she put up her walls and attempted to be protective.

"You're really funny." She stuck her tongue out at me before turning back to the screen, scrolling through the results on the search engine. Apparently she was serious about learning the area. Maybe that was normal for her when she went on quests, and maybe I should be a little more interested in that as well. But that just wasn't something Apollo kids did well, and with two other people working on that front, I didn't think it was really necessary for me to be so interested as well.

I took a few steps backward and flopped down on Theresa's bed, spreading my arms wide and staring at the ceiling. As soon as I'd gotten comfortable, I felt something hit my stomach. I opened my eyes to see a small throw pillow laying on the bed beside me, and Theresa laughing quietly. I threw it right back, but it missed her and hit the wall behind the computer before falling behind the wooden computer desk.

"No going back to sleep, we have work to do."

"I wasn't going back to sleep, you know how it is-"

"I know how it is on a regular day when the sun's shining, not when…" She trailed off as my expression fell. It wasn't intended to be mean, I knew, and she was sorry that she'd said it. It didn't change the fact that my dad was missing and everything felt different. I still woke up at the same time, but it was harder for me to stay awake once I was up. I didn't want to admit it, but I knew that all the children of Apollo were suffering without his presence, and I wasn't an exception to the rule.

"Well, you're right, but I'm not going to sleep." I said finally. "There's too much that needs doing to sleep. Have you seen Kyler?"

After a moment Theresa shook her head. "I'm not sure you should go find him though, either. He's not the most trustworthy-"

"I don't really have a choice at this point, do I? We need all the help we can get."

"What does he have that I don't?"

Ah. Suddenly I understood why she'd been doing the research. Not so she could show him up so much as replace him. She wanted him gone, truly and completely. And I did understand… but it was safer to have three on a quest than just two.

"He can charm the pants off of just about any woman he meets, and most men as well. He's helpful for getting out of tight spots or getting information."

"We'd manage just fine without him."

I looked at the stubbornness in her face and the set of her shoulders, and then I walked to the door. She protested as I turned the handle, but I walked out of the room and across the hall to the door with the number 213 written in gold leaf just under the peephole. I knocked three times and stepped back, waiting for the boy to answer his door. Soon I heard the lock click and the door swung open to reveal Kyler, his hair sticking up in odd places but not a hair out of place despite. I really envied the Aphrodite kids sometimes.

"Team meeting in our room."

"Uh, yeah, sure." He didn't move, just looked at me for a moment.

"So you'll come?" I prompted when he didn't say anything.

"Let me get changed, then I will."

"Good." And with that I turned and went back into our room, leaving the door open so he could enter when he was finally ready.

"We don't need him-"

"It never hurts to have someone else to watch our backs, does it? And the only thing he's done to be suspicious is confess that Aphrodite knows something."

"You're oddly formal."

I sighed and ran a hand through my bangs, hanging in my face now. "I don't know how else to do things right now, you know?"

"Yeah." After a moment she stood and took a hesitant step toward me. When I didn't move, she wrapped her arms around me in a slow, easy hug. I relaxed a little bit and she stepped back again.

"We'll be good."

"What would I do without you?" I offered her a small smile.

"Probably die of boredom."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem."

Kyler chose this moment to make his presence in the room known by clearing his throat. I jumped, startled, but quickly settled myself and sat down on my bed.

"I suggest we go to the Garden of the Gods: it seems like too much of a coincidence that our 'on high' happens to be near a place called 'Garden of the Gods.' See what we can find, and go from there?"

Theresa was glaring at the boy that had decided to lean against the wall instead of getting closer, and said boy stared at the ground.

"You're not very helpful." I said as a general statement to the other two in the room. Neither of them moved, nor did they react to my sigh of frustration. "Come on, what do you think?"

"I think it would be just fine." Theresa said, her eyes never leaving Kyler.

"Except…?"

"Except you expect to bring this one with us."

"Can you please not…?" I struggled for a word for a moment before I just shook my head. "We're all going, and we're all going to help each other, alright?"

Kyler looked up quickly and nodded. "If that's what you'd like…" He said quietly.

I watched him for a moment even though his gaze quickly shifted back to the floor. I'd never seen him look so defeated before, so downtrodden. I wondered how much of that was disappointment in his mother, his own actions, or maybe just the fact that Theresa was so anti-Kyler. Whatever the case, it hurt a little to see him so upset.

"Sounds like a plan. And as I have no idea where to go, you two will have to figure this out." Theresa's gaze shot to me, anger simmering in her eyes.

"I'm not working with him."

"Whatever. We're all going to the Garden of the Gods, and someone is leading the way."

Theresa stood abruptly and left the room. I watched Kyler push away from the wall as he prepared to go gather his things, wishing I was better at talking, at comforting, and, in general, better at boys. But I wasn't, so Kyler walked back to his room on his own and I went to gather my few items. I was sure Theresa would return soon, and sure enough, as soon as Kyler had closed his door, she walked back into the room and started gathering her things, completely silent. Here was protective Theresa all over again, and I was a little upset by that. I knew it was my fault, but I still didn't like that this quest was pulling us apart.

Pulling us apart over a guy, no less. It couldn't get much worse than that.

"Listen…" I said after a moment, but Theresa shook her head.

"I know you think this is safer. I know you trust him. Just don't expect me to, alright?"

I suppressed the urge to argue, answering her with simply a, "Sure, if that's what you want."

"It's not. But it's about the best compromise we're going to come to, right?"

I nodded after a moment. Theresa swung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the door. I followed her, and Kyler stepped out of his room a moment later. We filed out of the hotel in single file, not speaking, not looking at each other. Theresa was determined to lead the way, and neither Kyler nor I would argue that point.

* * *

We arrived at the Garden in two-ish hours, after a long and awkward bus ride where none of us talked. At all. Fortunately, there was something to be seen out the windows because of all the city lights, so it wasn't a total waste of time. At least there was something new and interesting to see.

It wasn't quite what I'd been expecting when I'd heard the name: a bunch of red and brown rocks, stacked on top of each other, laying next to each other, forming roofs and defying gravity. It was cool, but I was used to _Olympus_ in reference to the gods, and this… well, it didn't quite make it to that level of godlyhood.

We walked into the park and looked around, ignoring the tourists that were taking the necessary, almost obligatory pictures pretending to hold up the rocks that appeared to teeter dangerously. We ignored the crowds that pushed by us in their excitement to see the wonders of this park. All I could think was, '_What's so great about this?'_

It could have just been the sinking depression talking, because every day that we had to live by the electric street lights instead of the sun chariot felt harder than before. I tried to stay upbeat and positive, telling myself that we'd find dad before too long, that he was fine and probably just lost somewhere. Once we found him, everything would go back to normal. We wouldn't even have to worry about Aphrodite, because she wouldn't have time to screw up our lives before we found dad. It was just that simple.

We trudged through the park, but nothing screamed, "There's a god here!" at us, and soon we'd explored all there was to explore and found nothing. As we were leaving the park, I climbed up onto one of the larger rocks in the hopes that I could see something, anything, that would give us a clue. I didn't know where to go next, or what we should do, or how to find dad, and I was getting desperate. Maybe if I'd been on a quest before this one it wouldn't seem so overwhelming, but all I knew was that I was supposed to be leading this quest and I had no clue how to do that.

I reached the top of the rock and sat down, hard, on the flat surface. I stared in the direction that the sun should be setting, and soon I heard Kyler and Theresa behind me. I didn't acknowledge that they were there. I just waited. Maybe dad could send me some sign.

"C'mon Megan." Theresa's voice was quiet, and the hand that rested on my shoulder was gentle. "We should try somewhere else."

I didn't answer immediately; I was still hoping for one glimpse of something. But when nothing happened, I nodded and stood. I turned and watched them start down the side of the rock, taking one last look behind me for…

"Stop." I said quickly, turning back around. There was something happening, a spark of light just a few feet away from where I stood. I took a hesitant step forward and then turned my back to it just as a bright flash of light burst around me. I clenched my eyes shut and waited for it to finish, for him to be normal, human sized and say my name and tell me that he's alright, everything's alright, we'd be able to go back to camp and live happily because he'd just forgotten the time.

I warily opened my eyes after a few seconds to see that the light had died down, and Theresa and Kyler were crawling back up. By the looks on their faces as the stared behind me, I knew it wasn't my dad. That didn't stop the heartbreak as I turned and learned that it really wasn't.

A woman stood on before us, with her dark hair pulled up into a high ponytail and bangs falling down on either side of her face. Her face was thin and angled, with high cheekbones and a narrow nose above full, shaped lips. Her eyes were framed with very dark lashes, but I couldn't quite see what color they were… a variety of colors, each flashing when she moved. Her face seemed natural, with only a hint of the makeup that highlighted the hollow beneath her cheekbones and the tilt of her nose. Her body was narrow with curves, and she was very tall. She wore a tight fitting t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans with heels, accessorized with bangles and a long, golden chain around her neck.

She looked a little too excited to see us.

"Hello dears." Her smile was bright and beautiful, just like everything else about her. I couldn't figure out who she was, which of the goddesses had appeared to us.

It was only when I heard Kyler's no-so-excited voice that I understood.

"Mom."


	7. False Information is a Real Bummer

**Chapter 7: False Information is a Bummer… Sometimes.**

I stared at the horrendously beautiful woman in front of me and immediately all I felt was a deep sense of depression. Here was the woman that was interfering in our quest. Here was the woman that was probably rooting for Kyler and I to suffer something tragic. Or maybe it was going to be Theresa and Kyler, and I'd just be a bystander. Suddenly my mood sunk quite a bit lower.

"Hello darling." Aphrodite smiled at Kyler, eyeing him with pride. She was apparently very delighted that her son was so ridiculously attractive. "How has your little trip been so far?"

Kyler didn't say anything, and a slight frown touched her forehead before she turned a smile even bigger than before on Theresa and I. "He's a strong one, isn't he? So beautiful. He could break a girl's heart just by looking at her." She smoothed the creases in her t-shirt as she smiled at us.

"What do you want?" Kyler's voice contained barely contained rage, the likes of which I'd never heard from him. He took a step forward so he stood in front of me, close enough that I could lean against him, if I chose. But the set of his shoulders and the tension in his muscles told me that he would just as likely hit me as hug me right now.

"Sweetheart, I wanted to talk to you." The slight pout of her lower lip would have been cute, if she wasn't the demon goddess that enjoyed messing with lives.

"We're busy right now, mother. Please just leave us alone."

"Well, maybe I wanted to give you news of Apollo. But if you really don't have time for me…" She started to glow, waving her fingers at us.

"No wait!" I yelled, louder than necessary as I stepped past Kyler. If she had information, it was worth the risk of seeing Aphrodite's divine form. Kyler grabbed my arm as I stepped closer, but there was no need: Aphrodite wasn't going anywhere. She was only baiting us, and I should have known. But there was hope inside me now, and I was desperate to hold on to that for as long as I possibly could. I didn't want to lose this chance.

"Yes dear?"

"Where… where is he?"

"First… you have to listen to me." She smiled, and there was something wicked in the beautiful flash of teeth.

"Mother." Kyler's hand was still on my arm, a little too tightly. He pulled me back toward him, and I let it happen; he wanted to protect me, I could tell by the way he put his body in front of mine. As if he expected Aphrodite to attack us at any moment. "Please. We're in a hurry."

"No rush… you two need all the time together that you can get." She winked at Kyler, and then her eyes darted to me. I would have blushed if I wasn't so bent on getting information about my dad and holding onto that hope that had started growing inside me.

"Don't you mess with them." Theresa stepped up next to Kyler, which surprised me. She glared at the goddess with absolutely no fear in her eyes, which did not surprise me.

"Girl, back up, this isn't your story." Aphrodite pursed her lips at my friend. "Your time will come." Aphrodite flicked her fingers at Theresa and she slid backward, as if pulled. I glanced back at her before turning to Aphrodite. "Now, you two." She stepped forward and physically pushed me closer to Kyler. Then she took a step back and stared for a moment, the smallest smile on her face. "You two are so adorable."

I couldn't help the blush that rose to my face as Kyler grabbed my hand and stared at his mother, who showed a smile even bigger than before.

"And he's so protective. It's just adorable."

"Mother, please."

Aphrodite ignored her son, turning her attention to me. I froze as she looked me up and down, slowly, and nodded. "You'll need to be careful, young lady. You can only have one of them, better make sure you pick the right one."

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly, even though Kyler squeezed my hand and shot me a warning look.

"You can only have so much love in your life. Some people get more, some get less, and I'm afraid, darling, that you are part of the latter group."

"Mother, I don't know what you're planning, but leave us out of it."

"Dear, it's my job to be interested. And I am interested." She squeeled like a school girl, one of the most annoying sounds I'd ever heard. "This is going to be so beautiful. I'm just really excited-"

"Mother, please, what do you know about Apollo?" Kyler's grip on my hand tightened.

"To be honest, I really don't care about that-"

She didn't get a chance to finish before Kyler stepped forward and punched her. His fist connected with her cheekbone and she fell to the side, knocked off balance by the blow. When she stood, her eyes were dark, and her face had lost some of the natural beauty it had contained moments before.

"That's not a good way to make your mother happy, Kyler." Her voice was deeper, scarier. Kyler let go of my hand and stepped in front of me again.

"Please don't bother us anymore." Kyler's voice was equally as dark, which scared me almost more than Aphrodite's. The difference was Kyler was trying to protect me, and Aphrodite… she was just insane.

"Your girlfriend will be lucky if she-"

Kyler's fist hit her other cheek, hard. I heard the smack and I cringed a little. "Leave her alone, mother."

Aphrodite started glowing, and without warning she was in her divine form. We barely covered our eyes before she did, and after a second Kyler disappeared from beside me. I screamed his name and then the flash was gone, Aphrodite disappeared to wherever she belonged. I looked around and found Kyler minutes later, laying on the ground at the bottom of the rock we stood on.

"Kyler!" I started down the rock, almost falling in my haste. I reached the bottom and slid to my knees next to him, already checking to make sure he was alright. It was something that came naturally to a daughter of Apollo.

His eyes fluttered open, a frown on his face. Theresa knelt next to me, though her gaze focused on me instead of her self-proclaimed adversary.

"Are you alright?" She asked, but I ignored her in favor of tending to Kyler. He was the one who'd gotten thrown off a rock. My wrung out and confused emotions could wait.

"Kyler, what hurts?"

He blinked at me a few times before the frown deepened. "My head's a little… sore." He started to sit up and cringed.

"Just… just stay down." I bit my lip as I gave him a look, checking his eyes, his pulse, everything. After a little bit I concluded that he'd just hit his head, but it didn't look like a concussion or anything. Apparently his mother had just wanted to show him who was boss, not really hurt him.

No, because she wouldn't want to ruin her games.

"You look fine." I offered him a hand and helped him struggle to his feet.

"Thanks." He said quietly, leaning heavily on me. I wasn't sure if that was because he wasn't feeling well or because he was in shock. He had just punched his mother, the goddess of love. That couldn't be easy to swallow, especially because she wasn't known for being the nicest when provoked.

"Are you alright, Kyler?" Theresa asked, and I looked at her in surprise. "I mean, I would hate to hear you broke a nail with that punch. Is your hair alright?" The tone to her voice was rude, and Kyler stiffened. He pushed away from me suddenly, stumbling slightly, and then walked away. I watched him leave and then turned a glare to Theresa.

"Do you have to be such a jerk to him?" There was venom in my voice, probably more than there needed to be. I was feeling very protective of the boy who had defended me against his mother.

Theresa's face showed she was a little surprised at my sudden outburst, but then she regained her composure and shrugged. "It was a joke, if he can't take it-"

"He just… ugh, nevermind." I threw my hands up and walked away from her, following Kyler's trail. I didn't even bother to see if she was following, but soon I heard her footsteps behind me, keeping a fair distance to avoid my anger. I was grateful, if nothing else; I may have taken a page out of Kyler's book and punched her if she got too close.

Kyler wasn't running away, so it didn't take long to catch up with him. He didn't slow down when I called his name, but he didn't speed up, either. I drew even with him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks." I said quietly. "For defending me."

He didn't answer right away; he reached to his shoulder and took my hand off, but instead of letting it drop he held it. "I'm afraid it might do more harm than good, in the long run." He smiled at me through his lashes, his hair falling over his forehead. My heart stopped for a second.

"You're… that's fine." I stuttered, lost in the look in his eyes. I supposed there wasn't any real reason to avoid the obvious: Aphrodite was rooting for us to be a couple, and waiting for the tragic end. Obviously she didn't root for couples that were never going to happen.

I just couldn't quite bring myself to admit it, despite Aphrodite's declaration.

He was about to say something when I noticed his hand, the one that wasn't holding mine. It looked really red, blood dripping down the knuckles. Basically, it looked like he'd punched a car, or a brick wall, instead of a woman's face.

"Let me see that." I demanded, pointing at his hand. He didn't hesitate, which was nice, but the state of his hand was worse than I'd thought. I suppose that was what happened when you punched a goddess, but I was surprised that he hadn't complained about it earlier. From what I could see, it was a really painful injury, one that I would have requested be fixed immediately. "Why didn't you say anything?" I scolded, in complete healing mode.

"I'm just a tad ashamed that she hurt me worse than I hurt her."

"Which is why people generally don't go around punching gods and goddesses." I chuckled, and he grinned at me, which completely distracted me from what I was doing. After a moment I looked down at his hand and then shrugged my pack off, setting it on the ground and digging a few bandages out of it.

It was quite a bit of time and pained grunts on Kyler's part before I had it satisfactorily wrapped and set. Theresa had been conspicuously quiet during the process, but I suspected that was because she knew I was still a little upset with her. I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to ignore her, watching over my shoulder, but I really wished she would apologize to Kyler. It wasn't his fault that this had happened, but he'd been trying to defend me. It had been an idiotic thing to do under the circumstances, but it was also really sweet. It made my heart flutter just thinking about how he had stood in front of me, standing up to his godly mother for my benefit.

I helped Kyler to his feet after I'd put my extra bandages in my pack, and then we were absolutely silent for a moment. It was awkward and awful equally.

"Thanks." Kyler said after a moment. I nodded.

"Yeah, you too."

"I only did what any decent guy would. I'm sorry that she didn't know about your dad, that was a real bitch move."

I was a little startled by his language, but I couldn't argue with him, either. So I just nodded. I still hadn't let the reality of what had happened sink in, and I was hoping to put that off until a time that I could deal with it, which certainly wasn't now. I didn't want to think about what Aphrodite had said, what Kyler's punches had done to affect our possible future, if the goddess planned on punishing us with some tragic ending.

* * *

We ended up in Raven's Nest Coffee House once we left the park, where Kyler generously bought us all the drinks we desired and we sat in the comfortable chairs surrounding a small coffee table. We'd also splurged a bit on a plate of pastries, because why not? It was on Aphrodite's card, and somehow that felt like sticking it to the man, in so many words. Even if it wasn't real money and Aphrodite didn't care.

I took a large sip of my mocha Frappuccino and lowered it, holding it in two hands in my lap. I glanced at Kyler, who had ordered just a normal cup of coffee with sugar, and then at Theresa, who had ordered a fruit smoothie as opposed to coffee. I'd rolled my eyes, but I knew she didn't like coffee. Then I looked back at my cup and stewed.

"Are you going to drink that, or just glare at it for a while? Because you know, there are cheaper things you can glare at…"

"What do you care? It's mommy's money." Theresa snorted, and I elbowed her in the ribs. It was too early to be making cracks about his mother, and judging by the way Kyler's face fell, I wasn't the only one who thought so. Theresa didn't bother making any cracks, so I could only assume that she was still trying to apologize, in her own way.

"Yeah, whatever." Kyler's mood appeared to be down again, and mine was falling quickly. We'd been accosted by Kyler's mother and were still no closer to finding my father. I was actually beginning to doubt that Colorado had been a good place at all, because nothing I'd seen so far had been reminiscent of Apollo.

How was I supposed to find dad when he could be anywhere in the world?

"I think we should go somewhere else?" I said after another long minute of staring at my Frappuccino. I took another sip before looking at the other two.

"Where do you want to go?" Kyler asked.

"I'm game for somewhere new." Theresa said quickly, not about to be outdone by Kyler.

I smiled my appreciation at their support, but I really had no idea where to go next. And I knew they could read that on my face.

"Let's dig around Denver a little before we go too far." Kyler finally suggested. "I think we should just make sure, before we get going somewhere else."

I mulled the idea over for a moment before nodding. "Might as well. Should we go tonight?"

We all looked out the window, attempting to tell the time by where the sun sat in the sky, and my heart sunk a little farther. Kyler reached across the coffee table and took my hand, smiling. It was just a casual gesture, but suddenly he seemed a lot more open to touch than a day ago. I assumed it had something to do with the fact that some sort of relationship was already preordained, so what was the point in fighting it? I just wished I was as brave and confident as he was, and maybe tragedy wouldn't be a problem.

"It'll be alright." He said, flashing a smile at me. "We'll find him."

I nodded and squeezed his hand. It would be okay. These two would help me find my dad, then we could go home and get Jack out of whatever confinement he was in and live happily. I didn't care if I ever got another quest again, so long as my dad and my friends were safe.

* * *

We went back to the same hotel and spent another night. I unpacked my stuff once again, took another nice, long shower, and put on some clean clothes before going to sit outside. Theresa hopped in the shower once I was out, so it was just me alone, sitting in the yellow glow of the street lights in the parking lot.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Kyler, his hair still wet and his shirt hanging over one shoulder. Immediately I blushed because I'd been staring at his bare chest, but he didn't seem to notice.

"May I sit with you?" He asked, and I nodded once, staring at the ground in front of me and enjoying the slight chill of the night air. Everything felt a little better at night, when it wasn't as obvious that dad was missing. A little easier to handle, a little more normal.

"What's up?" I asked as he took a seat a little too close to me.

"I just… I wanted to apologize. For my mother."

I snorted and then was instantly more embarrassed for it. "It's not your fault, you didn't choose her-"

"But I know she's not a nice person, and she won't apologize." He gave me a beautiful crooked smile and continued, "I suppose I just feel like it's my duty to fix the messes she creates."

"You're one of the few."

"Yeah."

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't even want to think about all the trouble she has planned."

"I'm sure it won't be so bad." Kyler said quickly. I gave him a confused look and he continued. "I just don't think she'd do too much to her own children. She generally wants us to be successful in our love lives, if not heartbreakers. And since I'm obviously not a heartbreaker…" He shrugged.

"You might want to tell her that. I'm not sure Aphrodite understood."

He chuckled quietly. "She wants me to be. She's told me so a few times. My brothers and sisters all tell me the same thing: children of Aphrodite are not the nice boys that you date and fall in love with and marry, we're the heartbreakers that everyone wants but no one can have." He ran a hand through his wet hair, making it stick up in the cutest way. One corner of his mouth twitched up in a crooked grin. "I suppose I'm just not the same as everyone else."

"That's not a bad thing." I said quietly. His eyes darted to my face and my own darted to the ground, avoiding eye contact.

"Thanks." I saw his grin widen into a full-fledged smile. "Usually I only hear the opposite."

I glanced up when I noticed him moving out of the corner of my eye, and suddenly his lips were pressed against mine. I backed up quickly, standing and taking a few steps backward for good measure. His casual touches I could put up with, but this was on a whole different level, and I was completely shocked. He stared at me, wide-eyed and apologetic.

"Sorry-" He said, but I had already fled inside, running from the touch. I was a broken girl, I knew that, and this had been just a step too far for me. I closed the door to our room behind me and leaned against it, slowly sliding down until I sat on the carpet.

I was panicking inside.

But I was also really, really happy.

The combination confused me, and so I sat in front of the door, staring at the carpet and listening to the sounds of the shower shutting off in the bathroom.

Just before the door opened, a note slid under the door, a little post-it note with black ink. I heard the door across the hallway close as I picked up the little note.

_"Sorry, but I couldn't help myself. Hope you're not mad._

_-Kyler."_

And how could I be mad at that?

I smiled and hid the note as Theresa walked out of the bathroom, wanting to tell her but still hoping to keep the memory and the happiness to myself.

I couldn't see how Aphrodite could ruin what I was feeling at that moment.


End file.
